World's Oldest Crown Is Coming to Manhattan

1/3

The crown — a blackened metal ring topped with vultures and doors — is a relic from the Copper Age, which occurred about 6,000 years ago. It’s on display at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University as part of a new exhibit that runs from Feb. 13 through June 8.

“Masters of Fire: Copper Age Art from Israel” contains 157 items representing eight decades worth of archaeological discoveries from Israel, according to Jennifer Y. Chi, the institute's exhibitions director and chief curator.

Many of the artifacts come from the Nahal Mishmar Hoard, a collection of 432 objects uncovered in a remote cave high above the Dead Sea in 1961. There is a scepter decorated with horned animals, a copper container designed to look like a woven basket and clay goblets and bowls.

The Hoard was a defining discovery of the Copper Age, according to Chi, and tell a story about how early society was organized. [...] dnainfo.com/